An interactive meeting on equality

On Monday, 16 November the two-day Equality Summit began. The meeting opened with a warm welcome in Norra Latin’s dimly-lit assembly hall in central Stockholm.

“I am expecting an interactive meeting”, said moderator Greger Hatt in his introduction. “I hope that at the end of the meeting we will have new knowledge and new contacts.”

On stage, Swedish Minister for Integration and Gender Equality Nyamko Sabuni was welcomed with warm applause. In her view, the Equality Summit is primarily about combatting discrimination.
“Being protected against discrimination is a human right”, says Ms Sabuni. “This is not negotiable.”

A lot remains to be done, not least for women in the workplace, according to Ms Sabuni. Women are subject on a daily basis to obstacles that prevent them reaching their full potential, despite the fact that their labour is actually improving GDP around the world.

LGBT issues and Roma on the agenda
During the Equality Summit, there will be a lot of discussion on LGBT issues. Also, a new spotlight will be focused on the Roma, who, as Mr Sabuni says, are the most vulnerable people group in Europe.
“The Roma have lived on the edges of society”, says Ms Sabuni. “Discrimination and contempt have led to poorer health among the Roma. They are leaving their countries to avoid it.”

High hopes and new negotiations
Negotiations on the anti-discrimination directive are currently under way. If the EU’s competitiveness is to be increased, we cannot exclude certain groups.
“We will look at discrimination as a whole”, says Nyamko Sabuni. “We hope that the meeting will be interactive in the form of discussions.”

Teisir Bazgeir, Nacka Gymnasium, Nacka